Saturday, February 25, 2012

Lazarus Awakening Book Review




Lazarus Awakening by Joanna Weaver has been a very interesting book to read. It does include a 10 week Bible study in the back which I have not done yet because I am doing a couple of other studies at this time. I haven't read any of Weaver's other books so I had no idea what to expect. I really enjoy the way Weaver writes. A typical chapter in this book will usually include a story from Weaver's personal life and then she will compare real life with what was going on in the book of John when Lazarus died. I have never thought about the details of what happened in this story, and Weaver brings up new ideas like what the other people in the story are thinking at that time. She puts the story of Lazarus into one that is better understood without changing the facts.

This was not a "fast read" and it did take some time to digest what Weaver is saying. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in how the story of Lazarus intertwines with "finding your place in the heart of God".

Check out her website here!
Read the first chapter at this site.

"I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multomah Publishing for this review"

Also, I hate to ask this but would you please review this in the review box? I won't be able to continue my reviews if I don't get any reviews! Funny how that works. Anyway if you click the box and enter your email you will receive a message just so the company knows you are a real person! Thanks!

The Rose of Winslow Street Book Review

The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden is an excellent novel and well worth the time to read!! I have never read anything by Camden and I was pleasantly surprised with this story. It had twists in it that I was not expecting. Many books you can read and after the first chapter the entire story is easily figured out, that was the case in this story.  The story is set in Colden, Massachusetts in 1879 with the two main characters being Libby Sawyer and Michael Dobrescu.The characters are wonderful and Camden did a lot of historical research to make them come alive.

Though I would recommend this book to almost anyone, it does have a couple of "scenes" that include rape and a suicide attempt. I would recommend caution when it comes to younger readers. It does have a wonderful story of not only love, but also of letting go of a difficult past and moving on with God's help.

Check out Elizabeth Camden's website here!

"I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for this review"

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A is for Adam

When I was little my family had a little library in one of our spare rooms. This is where I discovered books and that I love to read. As I was browsing New Leaf Publishing to see what books they were offering in their blogging for books program, I came across a title I recognized from my childhood. A is for Adam the Gospel from Genesis by Ken and Mally Ham is a children's book that is mainly pictures about Adam and Eve. I used to love reading it and discovered the one that I requested is different than the older version. This version is hardback and can be propped up and then you can flip through the pages and read the story on one side and review what that page said on the other side. It is more of an interactive book that is way cool for younger kids!

The book says that it is a "multipurpose family book" on the back and I would agree! It's really neat to see how  an ordinary book can be changed into something more interactive.

Anyway for those of you who have young ins I suggest you check this book out!

Here is a link to a website that has it-A is for Adam the Gospel from Genesis


"I received this book for free from New Leaf Publishing"

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Book Giveaway

Hello! I have never done a book giveaway before so here we go! Since I know very few people read this blog it shouldn't be too difficult to have a good chance at winning.

My previous post was about the book Healing Your Church Hurt by Stephen Mansfield. Tyndale Publishing was doing a "blog tour" and gave me a certificate so that someone can get a free copy of Healing Your Church Hurt.

Here is how it will work, comment on this post sometime in the next week (ending February 28th) and then I will put the names in a random draw. Whoever wins I will contact right away in order to get a mailing address.

This should be fun!!

Healing Your Church Hurt Book Review

Healing Your Church Hurt by Stephen Mansfield was a much better book than I was expecting. It is not a book that will help all of your personal church problems, nor is it a book that will magically make you feel completely better about something that has happened to upset you in the church. Mansfield adds a touch of humor to his writing but gets straight to the point, he doesn't sugarcoat anything. Some parts of the book I found more interesting than others but only because I was reading from my personal perspective.

A sentence that made me think was, "Christianity is not the absence of stupidity and hurt. Christianity is the message of a God who uses our stupidity and hurt to make us what we are destined to be".

He also takes note of something that I think is very true that I had never thought about. "One of the most endearing features of the Bible is how God chose to portray people without apology in their raw and fallen state". This is so true when you think about all of the different people God talks about in the Bible. David-a liar, murderer, and so on.

Mansfield brings up a lot of new ways to think about things, not change what happened, but to see things in a different perspective.

Healing Your Church Hurt is a thought provoking read if not anything else.

Check out this link to find out more about the book.

"I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishing"

Monday, February 6, 2012

Making Leaf Placemats into Pillows



I typed in "leaf pillow" search after making my pillows and realized that I must be the last person to have heard about this fun idea. In any case I thought I would write a post about it and what I did that made it a bit cheaper to make.

I first heard about this idea while browsing on Pinterest and thought these would make the cutest pillows on our couch! I also realized that I had seen these place mats at Wal-mart for the last few months but did not want to spend the money on something I probably wouldn't end up using.

I paid $0.75 cents for each place mat and I bought all they that had left because this is a wonderful gift idea.

I then wandered back to crafts to buy the stuffing and realized that it is not cheap! Over three dollars for a bag that would not stuff all of the pillows I was planning on making. So, my husband ( I love him for this) suggested buying the super cheap regular pillows, cutting them open, and using that stuffing. The regular pillows are $2.50 and hold twice as much as a bag of stuffing.

I discovered that there was one seam that was the easiest to tear out on all of the pillows and then I stuffed the leaf.

I made nine pillows for extremely cheap, and you can't buy cheap pillows anymore, even the small ones! If Walt-mart had any left I would buy more. : )




I also discovered that the pillows will look great on our bed, not just the couch.

This was too much fun, especially on a cold day when you want to stay inside.

Has anyone else done any DIY projects? If so what were they?

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Bible Tik Tak Toe

Last night Chance and I decided we wanted to play a game. We have all of our games in a big tub and I had forgotten that my dad had given us the old games I used to play when I was little.
As I was digging I came across Bible Tik Tak Toe. I used to play this game with my sister and I loved it! The gist of the game is you have this book full of Bible questions and if you get the answer right you can put your X or O on the board on that question space. Chance and I started to read each other the questions and I realized how much I had forgotten. I'm sorry to say that but honestly I couldn't remember some of the names or details to parts of the Bible that I had memorized only a few years ago.

I imagine I'm not the only one who has forgotten some things that I learned in Sunday school but it made me realize how much I want to remember all of the details again. I might go to church but how much do I really study and put into memory?

This led to my second thought. If I ever have kids I will want to raise them with a knowledge and understanding of Christ. How can I do this when I can't answer their questions?

I love how God put things like Tik Tak Toe in our lives to make us think.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Book Review: How Do We Know the Bible is True? by Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge

I got this book and discovered it was Bible Study material while being very interesting. I love knowing the little facts that set the Bible apart and make it real and honest. So many people try to twist the details into how the Bible isn't true or the facts in it are incorrect. Ken Ham is an author that I have enjoyed in the past and Bodie Hodge was a new name to me. I thought the two of them did an excellent job in portraying people's doubts and proving why the Bible is true. There are facts and references so you can look things up as you are reading. They include multiple verses to prove their point and discuss the historical aspects of many different issues in the Bible.

I would love to use this book as either a personal or small group study.

"I received this book for free from New Leaf Publishing."

When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall

When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall is the third book in the Sisters of the Quilt Series. I loved the previous two books and this last one was just as good! Woodsmall is able to write a book that is so very different than many other Amish stories. The first novel is about Hannah Lapp and a rape attack that made her flee from home. Woodsmall finishes the story in this third book by bringing Hannah back home and having her decide between two different worlds. It's a wonderful story of forgiveness and love.


"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Check out the first chapter here.